Ore separating and concentrating machine.



No. 895,725. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

W. P. CLIFFORD.

ORE SEPARATING AND GONGENTRATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

amnutoz MzzZ-am E Ji 70m No. 895,725. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

Y 'W. P. CLIFFORD. Y ORE SEPARATING AND OONOENTRATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.21, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

WILLIAM P. CLIFFORD, OF MORAVIA, IOWA..

one SEPARATING AND concnn'ma'rme MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. CLIFFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moravia, in the county of Appanoose and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore Separating and Concentrating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ore-separating and concentrating machines, the invention being specially designed for use in the treatment of very fine ores and mineral dust, sands, etc., in extracting or separating flake and flour gold, silver etc.

The invention belongs to that class or type of machines in which the valuable particles of p the crushed or. reduced ore are concentrated The smallerl particles of ore are separated by a variety of machines. The action of many of them is based upon the behavior of particles carried down an inclined plane by a thin stream of water. If the gradient of the plane and the strength of the thin current are properly arranged, the denser particles will be deposited and the specifically lighter ones washed away, although they maybe equal-falling if allowed to settle in deep water. The paramount object of this invention is to overcome many of the difficulties exporienced in concentratingin water, and to produce a generally improved ore -separating and concentrating machine for the treatment of very fine ores, practically saving all fine ores and mineral dust heretofore washed away in treating by the water process, or by out in the appended claims.

improper air blasts; or air currents improperly applied in machines of this class.

With these and other ends in view, the invention consists in the novel construction,

arrangement and combination of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1, is a side elevation of a machine, constructed in accordance with my invention, a portion of its side wall being broken away for the purpose of clearer Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed September 21, 1907. Serial No. 893,933.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

illustration of its parts.- Fig. 2, a horizontal sectional view, taken through line 2,2,

of Fig. 1, a portion of the suctiondan-casing being broken away to show the suction-fan. Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view of the sizingreel and feed end of the machine, taken through line 3,3, of Fig 2. Fi 4, a perspective view of one of the revolub le mineraldust-catching' plate-armed reels or wingedwheels. Fig. 5, a perspective view of the revoluble sizing-reel. Fig. 6, a perspective view of the revoluble fluted feeding-roll.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings.

The improved machine comprises a supporting-frame consisting of base-beams 1, side-beams 2, and uprights 3, for sup ort-ing the walls of the various suction-trun (sand housings of the machine.

The front or receiving end of the machine is provided with .a sizing-reel-hou'sing 4, and the rear or fan end of the machine is provided with a suction-fan-housing 5, and a plurality of suction-trunks 6, are provided, preferably three in number as .shown, and graded, and decreasing in size and capacity from front to rear, the first being adapted as a separator for the coarse ore, the second for the medium ore, and the third for the fine ore.

I The several trunks 6, are provided at their front or receiving ends with vertically-arranged suction-pi es 7, and are brought into communication with thesuction-fan 8, at the rear, by means of horizontal longitudinallyextending suction-air passages 9, terminat ing in a common or main exhaust fan-chamber 10, above the fan-housing 5. tion-trunks 6, are also provided with depending-portions 11, provided with downwardly and rearwardly-extending chutes 12, adapted to convey material to the exit-o enings 13, in their lower ends, the first two eposit- The several suction-trunks 6, with the suction-pi es 7, and air passages 9, are preferably (ivided into three longitudinaly-ex- The suc-.

tending sections or divisions 15, 16, and 17 ceived from the sizingreel, hereinafter described. r

Transverse deflector-boards or plates 19, are mounted in the trunks 6, preferably parallel with the chutes 12, and are adapted to deflect the air currents, with floating or suspended material, downwardly into the depending portions 11, and thence upwardly lnto the horizontal air passages 9.

As a means of catching all the fine particles of material, such as flour or flake gold and silver, late-armed wheels or reels 20, are mounte just in front of the deflectorboards or plates 19, and at the rear of the horizontal airassages 9, in such a manner that the radial late-arms 21, will project into or intersect theair-currents passin from the trunks 6, into the said 'horizonta 'pas sages 9. The radial plate-arms or wings 21, are covered with quick-silver by means of a suitable adhesive or binding agent, or they may carry separate-removable quick-silver plates 22, as shown in Fig. 4, of the'drawin s. As the air current, carrying the fine partic es of material,.strikes the arms or wings 21., the wheels 20, are revolved, and in so doing the (pluck-silver arms or plates are dipped into t e current, thus causing all fine particles, of

mineral such as flour and flake gold and silver to come into engagement with and adhere to the quick-silver.

When the arms or wings 21, or plates 22, as

the case may be, are loaded or covered to their. normal carrying capacity, the wheels 20, or the plates 22, maybe taken out and the adhering particles of mineral removed.

Valves 23, are pivotally and adjustablymounted in the horizontal passages 9, and are adapted to be adjustedtherein whereby to increase or decrease the force of the air currents to provide for the various ores and the desired concentrations thereof. The crushed or disintegrated ore is contained in the hopper 24, and is conveyed to the sizing-reel through the medium of the feedipe 25, having its discharge end taking into t e elevated or receiving end of the revoluble sizing-reel 26, preferably above the axis or driving-shaft 27, thereof, as shown. If desired, a gate-valve 28, may be mounted in the feed-pipe 25 to control the feed of the ore to the s1z1ngreel.

The sizing-reel 26, is inclined and has its ends projecting through openings 29, in the sides of the housing 4. The driving-shaft 27 is mounted in bearings 30, secured to depending bearin -sup orting-arms 31, carried upon the ends of t e cross-arm 32, mounted on the housing 4.

The driving-shaft 27, is adated to be driven by means of a drive-pul ey 33, provided with a belting 34, passing over a 111- The periphery of the sizing-reel26 ,is pref-' I erably octagonal in outline .and is divided into sections 38, 39, and 40, corresponding in width to the width of'thesections 15, '16,

and 17, of the trunks, and adapted to separate the material into fine, medrum fine, and coarse particles as shown by the meshes of the wire covering in Fig. 4. If desired, sheet-metal may be substituted for the Wire covering and provided with perforations corresponding with the meshes of the wire covering.

The receiving end of the sizing-reel 26, is preferably provided with a peripheral flanged ead or band 41, to prevent any overflow or spilling of material as received from the feed- 1 e 25. The periphery of the reel 26, may be made up of a continuous endless covering as shown in Fig. 4,- or the sides or planes may be made frames 42-, resting upon and being secured to the longitudinal bars 43, by means of turn buttons 44, as shown in Figs. 1, and 3.

The material passing through the periphery of the sizing-reel 26, falls -u on the in clined chute 45, and is fed into t e first V61? tical suction-pipe 7, of the first or front suction-trunk 6, by means of a fluted feedingroll 46,.mounted in suitable bearings 47, ex-

tending into the lower or feeding portion of.

the housing 4, and suction-pipe 7, through a slots 47, formed therein,

The feeding-roll 46, is revolved by means of a cone-pulley 47*, receiving motion from a second pulley 48, on the sizing-reel'shaft 27, by means of a belting 49. The speed of the feeding-roll 26, is regulated by shifting the belting 49, thus also regulating the feed of the material, and the feed of the material is further regulated by means of a pivotallymounted depending bank-valve 50, normally closing the slot 47, of the suction-pipe 7, and impingingagainst the feeding-roll-46, v

by means of a horizontal lever-arm 51, carrying an adjustably-mounted Weight'52.

The revolution of the wheels 20, and the condition of the plate-arms 21, may be observed through, the glass covered sightoplenings 53, arranged on each side of the w eels 20.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation and advantages of myinvention will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention,

without having attempted to set forth all the forms in which it may be made, or all the modes of its use, I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, -is,'-

- suction-trunks arranged in echelon and provided with horizontal air passages leading to said suction-fan, transverse deflector-plates mounted in said trunks and adapted to divert air-currents downwardly into the lower portions of said trunks and thence upwardly to the intake ends of said horizontal air-passages, and reels provided with plate-arms arranged to take into said air-currents whereby said reels are revolved and said air-currents are intercepted by the dipping in of said platearms.

2. Inan ore separatingand concentrating machine, the combination with a suctiontrunk provided with an intake and a downwardly-diverted outlet passage, and a defiector-plate mounted in said downwardlydiverted outlet passage; of a quick-silver plate-armed wheel mounted at the return portion of said downwardly diverted outlet passage and taking into and revolved by the air-current passing from said deflector-plate. 3. In an ore-separatin and concentrating machine, a SUClZiOIl-tllllfii provided with a deflector-plate and a depending portion beneath said deflector-plate; of an armedwheel or reel mounted in and revolved by the return air-current diverted into said dependiriig portion of said trunk by said deflectorate. p 4. An ore-separating and concentrating machine, com rising a sizing-reel and housing, a suctionan and housing, a plurality of longitudinally -'divided suction trunks arranged in echelonintermediate said housings and each provided with a vertically-arranged suction-pipe at its front and a horizontal outlet passage leading to said suction-fan, a depending portion formed intermediate said suction-pipe and outlet passageiand provided with a downwardly and rearwardly-inclined chute terminating in an exit-opening, and a valve pivotally and adjustably-mounted in said outlet-passage.

I 5. In an ore-separating and concentrating machine, the combination with a sizing-reel and housing provided with a feeding-roll and bank-valve, a suction-fan and housing, a longitudinally-divided suction-trunk provided with a vertical suction-pipe intersected by said feeding-roll, and a longitudinal air-passage communicating With said suction-fan and housing; of a deflector plate'mounted in said suction-trunk and providing an air-passage downwardly into said suction-trunk from the top of said suction-pipe, a reel provided with quick-silver covered radiall -extending plates revolubly-extending into the air-currents passing from said air-passage provided by said deflector-plate to said longitudinal air-passage, and a valve mounted in said longitudinal air-passage whereby to regulate the force of said air-currents.

6. In an ore-separating and concentratingmachine, a sizing-reel and housing, a suctionfan and housing, a suction-trunk intermediate said housings and providedwith a verticallyarranged suction-pipe and a longitudinallyextending air-passage having a depending portion, a deflector-plate diverting the aircurrents downwardly into said depending portion, and a winged-wheel mounted in and revolved by the'return air-currents passing from said depending portion.

7. In an ore-separating and concentratingmachine, a lurality of suction-trunks arranged in ec ielon and each provided with a vertically-arranged suction-pipe and a horizontal outlet-passage having a depending portion, a deflector-plate in said outlet-passage and diverting the air-currents into said depending portion, and winged-wheels revolubly-mountcd in the return of said air-currents to said outlet-passage.

8. In an ore-separating and concentratingmachine, a plurality of longitudinally-(lividerl suction-trunks arranged in echelon and each provided with a vertically-arranged suctionpipe, a horizontal outlet-passage, and a depending portion; a deflector-plate diverting the air-currents into said depending portion, and reels provided with arms intercepting the return of said air-currents from said depending portion.

In testimony whereof I have allixcd my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM P. CLIFFORD.

Witnesses: Y

ERNEST REIIM, A. B. POLING. 

